Nell Jessup Newton named interim provost

This message is shared on behalf of President Susan R. Wente.

Dear campus community, 

I am pleased to announce that Nell Jessup Newton, Professor Emerita of Law at the University of Notre Dame Law School, has agreed to serve as interim provost for Wake Forest University, effective August 1.

Professor Newton served with distinction as Wake Forest’s interim dean of the School of Law during the 2022-2023 academic year. During her interim tenure as dean, Wake Forest’s motto and mission resonated deeply, and she developed meaningful relationships with our faculty, staff and students. She was a critical partner on the University Cabinet during her interim year and made strong connections with the school and College deans and the Provost Office team, which makes her an excellent fit to lead during this important transition. 

As interim Provost, she will provide leadership to the Provost’s Office and the Deans’ Council and return as a member of the University Cabinet. She will also hold the title of University Professor, reflecting her broad-based scholarly excellence. I am confident Professor Newton is well equipped to sustain our strong momentum across the academic enterprise and support the academic Deans in the Schools and College in their continued efforts to bring the University Strategic Framework further to life. 

Professor Newton is a distinguished lawyer, legal scholar, and student-centered educator with more than 40 years of scholarship and teaching experience and more than 20 years of academic and administrative leadership experience. Professor Newton has a deep and demonstrated commitment to the liberal arts and the humanities, having graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary humanities with a focus on ancient Greek language. She earned her J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly known as Hastings College of Law).

She served as Notre Dame Law School’s 10th dean from July 2009 until July 2019, building the School’s curricular strengths in business, international law, and intellectual property. During her tenure as Dean, Notre Dame launched eight new interdisciplinary programs of study, as well as clinics for low-income taxpayers, community development, intellectual property, and entrepreneurship. She also led initiatives to expand international education opportunities for Notre Dame Law in Italy, China, Chile, Ireland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. She was a trustee of the University of Notre Dame in England charity during her tenure as dean.

Professor Newton is a prominent scholar of United States Indian Law and the editor-in-chief of Cohen’s Handbook of Federal Indian Law, the only scholarly treatise on the subject. She has held numerous national positions in the legal education community, including the NALP (National Association for Law Placement) Foundation for Law Career Research and Education, the American Bar Association, the Association of American Law Schools, and the Law School Admissions Council. 

I am grateful to Professor Newton for her willingness to serve in this important leadership capacity. As we prepare for a national search for the next permanent provost, I will provide further updates to the community. In the meantime, please join me in welcoming Professor Newton back to Wake Forest as our interim Provost. 

Sincerely, 

Susan R. Wente 
President